Catalytic hydroprocessing of distillate or lube oil boiling range feedstocks typically involves use of a catalyst having supported Group VIII and/or Group VI metals. In many situations, the supported metals represent a substantial portion of the cost of the catalyst. Due to the large volume of catalyst required to load a typical hydroprocessing reactor, lower cost catalysts are a desirable feature for any refinery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,848 provides a method for treating a hydrocarbon feedstock by first exposing the feedstock to a high activity hydrotreating catalyst to reduce the levels of, for example, nitrogen, sulfur, and aromatics. The hydrotreated feed is then dewaxed using a dewaxing catalyst, such as ZSM-23, ZSM-35, or ZSM-48.
What is needed is an improved method for hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks that provides reduced cost of operation.